From the blog:Taking an Ovulation TestAn ovulation test is a test that helps to predict when a woman is most fertile. Since ovulation occurs only once a month, people who are trying to get pregnant can benefit from knowing the time of ovulation. They can also be useful for people who are trying to avoid pregnancy because they will...

How And Why Should You Use a Fertility Calendar?

Posted Monday, February 2, 2009 9:51 PM

Couples are usually diagnosed as having fertility problems when they have been trying to conceive for at least a year with either of two possible results. Either the couple has experienced complete failure to conceive at all during that year or the couple has suffered repeated miscarriages.

If the couple has experienced the first result and has not conceived at all within a year, one of the first considerations some doctors and fertility specialists may turn to is a fertility calendar.

A fertility calendar can be a good first tool for couples with fertility problems to try. This is because it is possible that one cause of the couple’s failure to conceive is that they have been having intercourse at the wrong times of the month as far as ovulation goes.

A woman’s menstrual cycle is what determines when her most and least fertile days will be. So, by charting her cycle on a fertility calendar a woman is trying to determine when her ovulation occurs. Knowing this information will help a couple to know when they should be trying to have intercourse.

Making and keeping a fertility calendar is not difficult. While it can be done on any scrap of paper, it is best to buy a special planner calendar (or download one from online) specifically for this purpose. This is wise for a couple of reasons. First of all, most women are not going to want to chart their menstrual cycle on the main calendar that they have hanging in their office or home. While this information is, of course, nothing of which a woman should be ashamed, it can still be embarrassing to let other people know about such intimate matters.

Secondly, and more importantly, the information on the fertility calendar may be helpful to a doctor or fertility specialist. If a couple has a special calendar specifically for this purpose, it will be easier for anyone assisting the couple with their fertility problems to analyze the data.

Now, aside from the calendar itself, a woman needs a digital thermometer. This thermometer needs to be able to read accurately to the tenth of a degree. Some women purchase ones that a designed and marketed as fertility thermometers.

As for what a woman needs to chart on the fertility calendar, there are really only a few items. First of all, she needs to take her temperature every day and write it down. The reason for this is that a woman’s temperature raises slightly right before ovulation.

She also needs to note when her cycle begins, how many days she is on her cycle, and when her cycle ends. Additionally, it is important for her to pay close attention to her cervical mucus discharge and record any changes on the fertility calendar. Right before ovulation, this mucus will become more slippery and will increase in amount.

By paying attention to these body changes and keeping track of them on a fertility calendar, couples may finally reach their goal of conceiving a baby.